Swing out shelf support

ABSTRACT

An innovative shelf support device is disclosed. The shelf support device includes a swing out pin that engages with a shelf cross member. The swing out pin is permanently housed within a housing fitted to press into a vertical member. The swing out pin is held in a storage position when not in use &amp; the support position when being used. This device requires no tools &amp; has no loose pieces.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

The present application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application Nos. 62/560,393, filed Sep. 19, 2017 and 62/664,305, filed Apr. 30, 2018, which are hereby incorporated herein in their entirety by reference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to shelf support devices and, particularly to adjustable shelf support devices for use in cabinets.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Shelves in cabinets are supported in some means and are often desired to be adjustable. Adjustable shelving units in which the vertical placement of a shelf in a cabinet or other structure may be varied are known in the art. An example of an early shelf bracket that allowed for adjustable placement of shelves is U.S. Pat. No. 76,232 to E. S. Morse (incorporated herein by reference). These systems required additional loose pieces that were moved to adjust the position of the shelves. Additionally, this type of bracket relied upon a cantilever support, which did not provide uniform support for the shelf.

A typical means of providing such support with adjustability is to provide a plurality of holes drilled in the cabinet wall wherein pins are inserted. The shelf is supported on the pins. The holes are drilled at discrete locations. The pins have to be physically removed and placed into another set of holes to adjust the shelf position. U.S. Pat. No. 1,052,516 to Soeren Ringer, incorporated herein by reference, is an example of an improvement in which a single clip is formed of round wire to take the place of two pins along the depth of the shelve.

Another method known in the art includes shelves with tabs that can be inserted into an array of slots in the cabinet. An example of this type of shelving unit is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,481,485 to E. J. Hess (incorporated herein by reference). This basic design was beneficial in that it did not have any loose or additional parts necessary for changing the position of the shelves. However, aesthetically it was lacking because it required numerous slots in the cabinet and relied upon the strength of the tabs for supporting the weight placed upon the shelf. Additionally, the design of Hess required tabs that extended beyond the footprint of the shelf Other shelf support systems included flexible latches built into the shelf that could be retracted from the edge to allow the shelf to be moved to another location. U.S. Pat. No. 4,231,301 to Wade H. Barrineau III, incorporated herein by reference, is an example of such a system. While this type of design eliminates loose pieces of the prior art, this design requires corner posts and the flexible latches can lose their strength over time.

U.S. Patent Publication No. US20070284983A1 to Robert C. Wayner, incorporated herein by reference, discloses a system comprising stationary support pin assemblies with a pin that is threaded to allow the pin to be retracted into the cabinet side wall when not in use. While this design addresses some of the deficiencies of prior art shelf supports, retracting the pins of Wayner is time consuming, requires a tool to rotate the pins, and requires deep cabinet side walls to accommodate the length of the pins.

What is desired is shelf support system with pre-positioned pins that can be retracted when not in use, provides load bearing across the depth of the shelf, and contains no loose parts that may be lost when not in use.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

An innovative support device is disclosed. The device includes a swing out pin that engages with a shelf. It is intended that more than one (usually four) of the devices are used to support a single shelf. The swing out pin is housed within a housing fitted to press into vertical members. The swing out pin may be joined with the housing by being trapped within the housing or by use of a cross pin.

The housing of the device is preferably barbed around its perimeter to secure the device into slots machined in vertical members. It is desirable that the housing be constructed of high impact polymer or metal to provide strength and minimize weight of the device. However, the housing can be made of any material known in the art for various desirable features. The housing may also include a flange that controls the insertion depth and covers any chipping or roughness in the insertion hole on the vertical members. The housing may further include keyholes, catches, ramps, magnets, and or detents to allow the swing out pin to be stored within the vertical members. Another embodiment includes shaping the housing so that it can be inserted in only one orientation, which prevents the device from being installed incorrectly.

Also disclosed is a unique locking mechanism for securing an item using this device. Added to the shelf is a bracket with a slot arranged for receiving the end of the swing out pin with a latch installed to create a locking feature. The locking feature will likely automatically lock itself & will only require a person to push/pull the latch to unlock the shelf. The latch may be constructed of a spring material, elastomeric element or have a spring incorporated to it. Alternately, the shelf or bracket has a slot or opening sized and arranged for receiving the swing out pin. The mechanism may also include a means for securing the swing out pin in the slot of the shelf or bracket. Also contemplated is a means for easily releasing the locking mechanism, such as a latch or lever.

ADVANTAGES OF THE INVENTION

-   -   Allows for adjustable shelf positioning without having to move         or place pins and without having pins exposed when not being         used.     -   Shallow depth allows swing out pins to be placed on both sides         of a shelf divider panel (back-to-back).     -   Pre-installation into shelf side panels ensures that the swing         out pins are properly aligned for accepting shelves.     -   Ribs molded into housing provide press fit into side panels.     -   Single-piece housing allows increased toughness for insertion         when using tools (mallet).     -   Controls insertion depth and covers chipping around routed hole         in substrate.     -   Keyhole allows swing out pins to be stowed within housing for         maximum space usage when not in use.     -   Shaped to prevent device from being inserted backwards or upside         down.     -   Swing out pin can be made to pivot on a pin or a ball that fits         a socket in the housing.     -   Housing may be molded, poured, forged, co-molded, pressed, cast,         cold forged, printed, or any similar technique for a part of         this style.     -   It is desirable for the housing to be a single piece however, it         may be multi-piece.     -   Device may have a pin permanently installed within.     -   Device may have a magnet permanently installed within.     -   Device becomes a self-contained assembly & has no small loose         parts that might be lost.     -   Device requires no tools to activate or deactivate after         installation.     -   Device may snap, rotate, press, slide, clasp, thread, or be         adhered into assembled position.     -   Swing out pin may be pinched, pressed, spring loaded,         compressed, magnetized to hold pin in activated or deactivated         position.     -   Swing out pin may be constructed of a high strength polymer,         composite, or metal.     -   Swing out pin may be molded, poured, forged, co-molded, pressed,         cast, cold forged, printed or any similar technique for a part         of this style.     -   Swing out pin may be constructed as a “ball and socket” or pivot         with cross pin design.     -   Swing out pin may pop-up, pop-out, or swing out to support         horizontal members.     -   Cabinets are configurable & adjustable with the self-contained         device.     -   Cabinets can be re-configured in minutes rather requiring a         customer to disassemble the cabinet or storage system creating         small loose parts.     -   Cabinets may have the same, more or less shelves than offered         today simply by adding or removing shelves.     -   This device allows a cabinet to have a high-pack option by         adding more shelves.     -   This device allows a cabinet to have one instrument that fills         the entire cabinet or column of a cabinet or allows many         instruments to be stored in the same cabinet or column of the         same cabinet.     -   The latch automatically catches pin while inserting shelf. The         latch may require pushing or pulling the latch to release the         shelf from its location. Herein we have incorporated a tab to         prevent the latch from being functioned beyond its flex         (yielded).     -   Cabinets will be provided with a nominal quantity of shelves         that could be removed for large instruments or additional         shelves could be purchased to increase the quantity of         instruments that fit within the cabinet.     -   The vertical members may have ribs within the cut-outs that may         interlock with the ribs or barbs on the housing of the device.     -   Extra shelves may be stored on a horizontal member within a         cabinet to prevent misplacing them.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Subject matter hereof may be more completely understood in consideration of the following detailed description of various embodiments in connection with the accompanying figures, in which:

FIG. 1 is a front view of a swing out shelf support according to an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 2 is rear view of a swing out shelf support of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is left side view of a swing out shelf support of FIGS. 1-2.

FIG. 4 is a top view of a swing out shelf support in the in-use position according to another embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 5 is a top view of a swing out shelf support of FIG. 4 in the stored position.

FIG. 6 is a front view of a swing out shelf support in the in-use position of FIG. 4.

FIG. 7 is a front view of a swing out shelf support in the in-use position of FIG. 5.

FIG. 8 is a left side view of a swing out shelf support of FIGS. 4 and 6.

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of a rotatable pin according to an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 10 is a top view of the rotatable pin of FIG. 9.

FIG. 11 is a front view of the rotatable pin of FIG. 9.

FIG. 12 is a perspective cutaway view of a cabinet and shelf according to an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 13 is a bottom view of FIG. 12.

FIG. 14 is a bottom perspective view of a cabinet and shelf according to an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 15 is a bottom perspective view of a shelf according to another embodiment of the invention.

While various embodiments are amenable to various modifications and alternative forms, specifics thereof have been shown by way of example in the drawings and will be described in detail. It should be understood, however, that the intention is not to limit the claimed inventions to the particular embodiments described. On the contrary, the intention is to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the subject matter as defined by the claims.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

A swing out shelf support according to an embodiment of the invention is depicted generally in FIG. 1 with reference numeral 100. FIG. 2 presents the rear view of same embodiment as shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 3 presents a left side view of the same embodiment of FIGS. 1-2. The swing out shelf support 100 includes a housing 130 and a rotatable pin 120. The rotatable pin 120 has a ball 125 and head 128. The rotatable pin 120 is designed to pop-up, pop-out, or swing out from the housing 130 to provide support to shelving. The housing 130 includes a flange 140, a keyhole 160, and a socket 170. The socket 170 is designed to permanently house the ball 125 of rotatable pin 120. The ball 125 may fit into the socket 170 by press-fitting or may be magnetically held in place. The keyhole 160 is shaped to allow the rotatable pin 120 to be flush with the flange 140 when the rotatable pin 120 is in its stored position. Housing 130 further includes at least one, but preferably multiple ribs 150 to allow the swing out shelf support 100 to be press-fitted into an opening of a cabinet. Ribs 150 are circumferentially molded into the housing 130.

The preferred embodiment contemplates the housing 130 being one-piece molded design of high impact plastic for mallet insertion into cabinet walls or dividers. The housing 130 may be molded, pored, forged, co-molded, pressed, case, cold forged, printed, or formed by any similar technique known in the art. The preferred embodiment of the invention is for the housing 130 to be a single piece to allow for increased durability when installing the swing out shelf support 100 with a mallet or other tool, but it may be made of multiple pieces. The preferred embodiment also contemplates the housing 130 being shaped in a manner that only allows insertion of swing out shelf support 100 in the correct orientation (i.e., the swing out shelf support 130 cannot be installed backwards). The rib set 155 is molded to allow insertion into a cabinet wall or divider while preventing the swing out shelf support 100 from being removed from the cabinet wall or divider (i.e., ribs 150 act as barbs). The flange 140 controls the insertion depth of the housing 130 into a cabinet wall or divider and covers any chipping or imperfections in the substrate of the cabinet wall or divider into which it is place. The flange 140 also prevents the swing out shelf support from being installed upside down. The housing depth 190 of the preferred embodiment is less than half the thickness of the cabinet wall or divider to allow two swing out shelf supports 100 to be installed in a back-to-back configuration (i.e., installed from opposite sides on a divider panel. The swing out shelf support 100 may be snapped, rotated, pressed, slid, clasped, threaded or adheres into a cabinet wall or divider.

The rotatable pin 120 may be constructed of a high strength polymer, a composite material, or metal and can be molded, poured, forged, co-molded, pressed, case, cold forged, printed or formed by any technique known in the art. The rotatable pin 120 may be pinched, pressed, spring loaded, compressed, or magnetized to hold the pin in the in-use or stored position within the housing 130. The preferred embodiment contemplates the rotatable pin 120 being permanently mounted within the housing 130 to provide a self-contained assembly that has no small loose parts that may be lost. However, it may be beneficial to have rotatable pins 120 that can be removed for various reasons.

FIGS. 4-8 present another embodiment of the invention. In this embodiment, the rotatable pin 120 is mounted in the housing 130 of the swing out shelf support 100 with a roll pin 180, upon which the rotatable pin 120 rotates. This embodiment utilizes a symmetrical housing shape to allow for uniform hole routing in the cabinet walls or dividers. The swing out shelf support 100 of this embodiment includes keyhole slots 165, which allow the longitudinal axis of the rotatable pin 120 to rotate to be parallel to the longitudinal axis of the housing 130 when the rotatable pin 120 is in the stored position (FIGS. 5 and 7), so the rotatable pin 120 is not exposed.

An embodiment of the rotatable pin 120 is presented in FIGS. 9-11. The rotatable pin 120 includes a ball 125 and a head 128. The ball 125 is configured to fit in a socket 170 (see FIGS. 1-2). The rotatable pin 120 may also include a detent 129 in the head 128 to provide better grip when moving the rotatable pin 120 from the store position (see FIGS. 5 and 7) to the in-use position (see FIGS. 4 and 6). In place of a detent 129, other methods of increasing grip on the head 128 include adding grooves or roughening the surface of the exposed head 128.

The swing out shelf support 100 of the invention is contemplated to be used with shelves containing brackets for accepting the rotatable pin 128 of the device. FIGS. 12-13 present a cutaway view of the swing out shelf support 100 installed in a cabinet wall 200. The swing out shelf support 100 is configured to mate with a shelf bracket 220 installed on a shelf 210 to be supported by the swing out shelf support 100. The shelf bracket 220 includes a latch 230 into which the rotatable pin 120 inserts. The shelf bracket 230 may also have a latch release 240, which acts to keep the rotatable pin 120 locked in position when the shelf 210 is installed and to allow the rotatable pin 120 to be released from position when the shelf 210 is to be removed. The shelf bracket 230 may be attached to the shelf 210 via screws, glue, riveting, adhesives, bolts, or any other means known in the art.

FIG. 14 presents a perspective view of an embodiment of the invention illustrating the rotatable pin 120 in the in-use position. As can be seen in FIG. 14, the head 128 of the rotating pin 120 is larger than the opening in the latch 230. This arrangement, in combination with the configuration of the latch release 240, prevents the shelf 210 from being removed from the cabinet wall 200 without pulling the latch release 240 away from the latch 230. A further embodiment of the bracket 220 is presented in FIG. 15. The bracket 220 includes an anti-yield tab 250, which prevents the latch release 240 from being moved beyond a point at which it would lose its flexibility (i.e., bias to the locked position). While the embodiments presented in FIGS. 12-15 present a latch release 240 that is pulled to release the rotatable pin 120 from the latch 230, the invention contemplates a latch release 240 that is configured to be pressed to allow release of the rotatable pin 120 from the latch 230.

Various embodiments of systems, devices, and methods have been described herein. These embodiments are given only by way of example and are not intended to limit the scope of the claimed inventions. It should be appreciated, moreover, that the various features of the embodiments that have been described may be combined in various ways to produce numerous additional embodiments. Moreover, while various materials, dimensions, shapes, configurations and locations, etc. have been described for use with disclosed embodiments, others besides those disclosed may be utilized without exceeding the scope of the claimed inventions.

Persons of ordinary skill in the relevant arts will recognize that the subject matter hereof may comprise fewer features than illustrated in any individual embodiment described above. The embodiments described herein are not meant to be an exhaustive presentation of the ways in which the various features of the subject matter hereof may be combined. Accordingly, the embodiments are not mutually exclusive combinations of features; rather, the various embodiments can comprise a combination of different individual features selected from different individual embodiments, as understood by persons of ordinary skill in the art. Moreover, elements described with respect to one embodiment can be implemented in other embodiments even when not described in such embodiments unless otherwise noted.

Although a dependent claim may refer in the claims to a specific combination with one or more other claims, other embodiments can also include a combination of the dependent claim with the subject matter of each other dependent claim or a combination of one or more features with other dependent or independent claims. Such combinations are proposed herein unless it is stated that a specific combination is not intended.

Any incorporation by reference of documents above is limited such that no subject matter is incorporated that is contrary to the explicit disclosure herein. Any incorporation by reference of documents above is further limited such that no claims included in the documents are incorporated by reference herein. Any incorporation by reference of documents above is yet further limited such that any definitions provided in the documents are not incorporated by reference herein unless expressly included herein. 

We claim:
 1. A swing out shelf support comprising: a housing comprising a flange, a keyhole, and circumferential ribs; a rotatable pin having a stored position and an in-use position.
 2. The swing out shelf support of claim 1 wherein the rotatable pin comprises a ball and a head.
 3. The swing out shelf support of claim 2 wherein the housing comprises a socket and the ball of the rotatable pin is inserted within the socket.
 4. The swing out shelf support of claim 3 wherein the entirety of the rotatable pin fits within the keyhole when the rotatable pin is in the stored position.
 5. The swing out shelf support of claim 2 further comprising a roll pin to mount the rotatable pin to the housing and about which the rotatable pin rotates.
 6. The swing out shelf support of claim 1 wherein the housing has an ovoid profile.
 7. The swing out shelf support of claim 1 wherein the housing has depth of less than half of the depth of a cabinet divider into which the swing out shelf support is to be installed.
 8. The swing out shelf support of claim 3 further comprising a keyhole slot
 9. The swing out shelf support of claim 8 wherein at least part of the rotatable pin rests within the keyhole slot when in the stored position.
 10. The swing out shelf support of claim 2 wherein the rotatable pin head comprises a detent.
 11. A shelf support system comprising: a swing out shelf support comprising: a housing comprising a flange, a keyhole, and circumferential ribs; and a rotatable pin having a stored position and an in-use position; a shelf bracket comprising: a latch; and a latch release; wherein the rotatable pin engages the latch when the rotatable pin is in the in-use position.
 12. The shelf support system of claim 11 wherein the rotatable pin fits within the keyhole when the rotatable pin is in the stored position.
 13. The swing out shelf support of claim 12 wherein the housing comprises a socket, the rotatable pin comprises a ball and a head, and the ball of the rotatable pin is inserted within the socket.
 14. The shelf support system of claim 12 further comprising a roll pin to mount the rotatable pin to the housing and about which the rotatable pin rotates.
 15. The s shelf support system of claim 11 wherein the housing has an ovoid profile.
 16. The shelf support system of claim 11 wherein the housing has depth of less than half of the depth of a cabinet divider into which the swing out shelf support is to be installed.
 17. A cabinet comprising: a vertical member; a shelf comprising a bracket, the bracket comprising a latch; a swing out shelf support embedded within the vertical member, the swing out shelf support comprising: a housing comprising a flange, a keyhole, and circumferential ribs; a rotatable pin comprising a head and having a stored position and an in-use position; wherein the entirety of the rotatable pin fits within the keyhole when the rotatable pin is in the stored position; and wherein the rotatable pin head engages the latch when the rotatable pin is in the in-use position.
 18. The swing out shelf support of claim 17 wherein the housing has depth of less than half of the depth of the vertical member.
 19. The swing out shelf support of claim 17 further comprising a latch release.
 20. The swing out shelf support of claim 17 further comprising an anti-yield tab. 